Fruit Machine Chat

MAde a welcome return thank god!!

Does nobody post here anymore?

your original post was a bit vague Roger old boy; not really the sort to encourage discussion. people do still look in here but perhaps don't have the inclination to post much or as much because the outlook is towards bleak.

Don't know about anyone else, but on seeing the original post, experience told me there were only really two options:

a) either you know exactly what the poster means, so if you post anything at all, it's probably going to be along the lines of "Yeah, good times LOL", which doesn't really add much to the discussion

b) you don't, in which case you ask the question "What do you mean, low-hanging fruit?". I'd be happy for the OP to correct me, but I'm in this category, and assumed that if I did ask, the reply would be "A certain game is being very friendly under particular circumstances, but you'll have to work out the details for yourself", rather than something I can actually use. As I say, apologies if I'm mistaken (and if you want to elaborate, I'm all ears!).

I've never been privy to any [inside knowledge / pro tip / utterly illegal cheat]* which has allowed a player to gain an advantage on a particular game, and as far as I can see, people still keep schtum about these secrets, even long after the game in question has been extinct for years. Which is fair enough: when I've had useful info about machine locations and the like, I've usually kept it to myself, so I'm don't blame people for not sharing, especially on public forums.

I still look in regularly, but I have had nothing interesting or new to say, I'm afraid. And sadly I've assumed that things are so quiet because the scene is moribund, and there's nothing to be said, not because everyone's on the road, and just too busy playing what's out there at the moment...

*delete as applicable

Fair enough - I take the vague criticism on the chin. I suppose I'm just trying to get the board going again. To be totally honest I have been doing okish on a lot of the revamped/updated paragons. On the downside it's pretty bloody boring as it's just a case of playing the same games over and over again.
I'm not in any way in the know mind though I could show you how to win a pound on PMP by not taking the bonus rounds when you're nearly there...

A pound, you say? This changes everything

Could it be that the current crop of games are so dull / unrewarding for pros that we're back in a situation where you get a proper cycle going i.e. regular punters lose (but only a few quid), better players win (but only a few quid)? On the plus side, games aren't being killed dead, on the down side, there's no way for even Top Boys (TM) to make decent money?

I thought this thread was about piles.

I've been silent as I'm not playing much these days - have switched the focus to other quizzing pursuits as my income from SWPs had dropped to a level I considered unworthwhile (you'll recall I'm a part-time amateur, so have that luxury).

I think we're probably nowadays in a situation where the bar has been raised in terms of skill levels needed to win decent sums. In the past a reasonably-skilled amateur like me could achieve that; now I think it's probably only the very best and committed players who can turn a decent profit - which tends to mean the very best full-timers. I've heard of one top-level pro estimate there may now be fewer than ten players nationwide earning a serious living off SWPs. For lesser players (e.g. me), the going's very tough (particularly on non-Paragons).

There's also the point that there are, at least in certain areas of the country, ever decreasing numbers of machines. In March I estimated I was down to five local machines (from 12/13) in a year. I think actually I underestimated that by one so the true figure was six - but since then one other pub has jettisoned its SWP after a refurb and another pub (closed in March so not included in my six) has reopened after a refurb with nary an SWP in sight.

I'd query also whether the introduction of Machine Games Duty from February 2013 - which as I understand it applies to subject SWPs to gaming duties for the first time - will kill the industry once and for all. Given the much greater throughput that AWPs get compared to SWPs, I'd query whether any publican would install an SWP at the same duty cost as an AWP. I'm no expert on SWP finances, though, so may have got the wrong end of the stick on this one.

Yep - I'd concur with pretty much all of that. I played for a few hours with a 'non-playing' old mate at the weekend, which is something I very rarely do (i.e. have anyone else with me), just to pay for the beers and food for the day. I've known him since the early days of quiz machines, and although we have not by any means played machines consistently together throughout that time, he has been there for an afternoon or night every so often. The odd thing was that I felt more and more guilty and apologetic about how dull the games now are and how difficult it was for him to make any contribution - he's intelligent but doesn't do much regular quizzing so is a pretty good example of Joe Public. He couldn't understand where games like Millionaire had gone and he had to laugh when I showed him just how hard it was to win, simply in terms of the number of questions and the standard prize levels, on something like Battleships. The nadir was reached when it took all of 5 minutes to demonstrate exactly how low the ItBox had been allowed to fall since last time he saw them. I think he understands now when I tell him that playing seriously is a dull grind these days, nothing more, that very few people can still do it and that most ordinary punters don't stand a chance.

The trouble is that the industry needs ordinary punters to survive but they seem to have completely lost the ability to design games to suit all levels. Sad days indeed.

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